April, i Q i 6 
11 
■fii sSsj ■ 
In simplicity, not grandeur, lies the charm of the modern country home. It may be Italian, as here, or Tudor, or half-timber, 
but it must serve the needs of a simple countryside life 
THE CHOICE OF A STYLE FOR A COUNTRY HOUSE 
Which Shows That a Man Does Not Have to Build 
Three Houses Before He Gets One That Suits Him 
GARDNER TEALL 
Photographs by Jessie Tarbox Beats 
T HE architectural style of a house for a site in the country 
is a thing that cannot be determined by any such pro¬ 
cedure as that governing the arbitrary rules which, for in¬ 
stance, dictate fashion in dress. 
There should be no such thing as fashion in home-building, 
notwithstanding the fact that occasionally certain styles for 
exteriors and certain styles for interiors become, for the 
moment, the obsession of builders, now and then of architects, 
and of decorators. To paraphrase a commonplace (madden¬ 
ing to the heart of an artist), “I know nothing of art, but I 
know what I like,” one might well interpret the philosophy of 
certain house-builders to include the confession, “I know noth¬ 
ing of architecture, but I know what I like.” 
The countryside still continues to suffer from the depreda¬ 
tions of such people. “Why do you like it?” you feel like 
asking Mr. Wellington Blank, who is building a battlemented 
cottage (first story Gothic, second story Georgian, and third 
story Mongrel Mediaeval) down in the valley. Perhaps Mrs. 
Trivial Rutt, who once paid 
a visit to Stratford-on-Avon, 
insists on a half-timber style 
for a country house almost 
vast in proportions and for¬ 
mal in intentions, because 
she cherishes the memory 
of Henley House. 
Of course these are ex¬ 
treme cases, for it is doubt¬ 
ful if any real architect of 
to-day would consent to 
carry out a set of plans 
and a design so obviously 
anachronistic in the one in¬ 
stance, and so unsuitable as 
in the second, by reason of 
the damage his reputation 
would be apt to sustain in 
either case. The builder, of 
course, could go ahead with 
anything—more’s the pity ! 
The Truth About 
Bungalows 
Perhaps few architectural 
ideas have proved more pop¬ 
ular with country dwellers 
than that of the bungalow. The artistically designed and con¬ 
veniently planned bungalow, well fitted to its site and amply 
sufficient to the needs of its occupants, is an idea with which 
we need not quarrel. On the other hand, it is doubtful if any 
other form of dwelling has been more abused through its 
adaption to unsuitable sites and localities or through attempt¬ 
ing to adapt it to purposes for which its simplicity was never 
conceived. The idea of the bungalow has, in turn, been en¬ 
dowed with much that, perhaps, it does not possess, as the 
name alone so bewitchingly suggests an epitome of cosy 
comfort that it has even been sentimentalized by song writers. 
The Right Thing in ti-ie Right Place 
Now there can be nothing cosier, more comfortable or more 
desirable than the right bungalow for the right family in the 
right place. But let any one application of this thrice-used 
adjective be substituted by the word wrong, then, as in the 
case of any house for the country dweller of any sort, you will 
instantly realize that there 
must be no faddism in 
house-building, that one 
must not build a bungalow, 
a Georgian cottage, a 
Dutch colonial or a half- 
timber house just because 
any one of these styles is 
enjoying a vogue in some 
other place, or is receiving 
much attention and illustra¬ 
tion in print. 
Many of our masters of 
domestic architecture— 
there is not a better desig¬ 
nation for dwelling-houses 
in good taste—specialize in 
the Georgian, the Dutch 
Colonial, or in some other 
architectural style. This 
does not mean that, if a 
half-timber house is really 
the best suited to the coun¬ 
try dweller in some definite 
locality, the architect who 
specializes in the Georgian 
style is not an excellent 
adviser, designer and plan- 
As most of the time is passed out of doors, the summer house garden 
is a real necessity. It should, in reality, be another living-room 
